swimming for life

Monday, November 19, 2012

Monday's Swim Report - The Swim Game

Lane 1 - Sports Pro posts "Coutts and Sprenger make a splash with Speedo. Australian swimmers Alicia Coutts and Christian Sprenger have been unveiled as ambassadors for swimwear brand Speedo. The two athletes have already tasted success wearing Speedo swimwear thanks to the brand’s ongoing deal with the Australian Olympic Committee – Coutts won a remarkable five medals at London 2012, while Sprenger won two - and the contracts will see both of them compete in Speedo gear until 2014. Speedo marketing manager Brooke Nicholson also commented: “Both Alicia and Christian embody the Speedo spirit. Not only have they proven themselves on swimming’s world stage, they are both well respected and senior members of the Australian swimming team the younger swimmers look up to.”

Lane 2 - The Examiner posts (w/video) "Olympic swim star makes a splash. OLYMPIC swimming gold medallist Stephanie Rice remains uncertain when she will jump back into the competitive pool. Rice, who was at Launceston Aquatic yesterday to take some of Tasmania's best juniors through their paces, said she did not expect to swim competitively in 2013 as she recovered from shoulder surgery. She also ruled out the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics."

Lane 3 - China Daily posts "Managing fame game. Swimming superstar Sun Yang is happy being managed by the sport's governing body in China — for now. Nurtured through the State-run system, the dual London Olympic champion accepts the authority's management of his career — including commercial affairs — but envisions a different path going forward. "I don't have my own professional agency team right now. But I am considering it," Sun told China Daily before a photo shoot for Esquire magazine recently. "It's my wish and I hope I can discreetly realize it at the proper time. I've been in discussions with leaders of the center (China swimming's governing body — Aquatic Sports Administrative Center) about that. According to a Swimming World report, Sun's endorsement deals will reach about $20 million next year due to major contracts with Coca-Cola, sportswear brand 361 Degrees and dairy product manufacturer Yili. At the Hupu International Sports Marketing Summit on Sunday, Sun was voted the most marketable sports star in China by 53 percent of the attendees." Youtube "Coke Journey - starring Sun Yang. New 30-second spot for Coca-Cola's 300-mL bottle. The campaign from Leo Burnett Shanghai features world champion distance swimmer Sun Yang and is part of the Coca-Cola Company's five-month-long marketing push in mainland China ahead of July's Olympic Games in London."

Lane 4 - Irish Times posts "'A driven part of me loves elite performance and I may be able to capture that again'. Ian Thorpe began his long and lonely return to the pool a year ago this month. He understands the solitary nature of elite sport better than most professional athletes, and describes its impact with layered elegance, but even Thorpe was jolted by the isolation he felt
as he prepared to swim competitively again in Singapore last November. After four years in retirement, his five Olympic gold medals and famous old Thorpedo racing persona meant nothing as he climbed on the blocks."

Lane 5 - 60 Minutes posts "High Dive. Whoever could forget that dive at the Beijing Olympics? Or the look of pure joy on Matthew Mitcham's face when he realised he'd won gold. But behind the smiles and Matthew's extraordinary athleticism, all was not as it seemed. You see, there's another, darker side to Matthew." Herald Sun posts "Matthew Mitcham cleared to continue diving for Australia despite admitting crystal meth addiction. BEIJING gold medallist Matthew Mitcham will not be excluded from the 2016 Australian Olympic team despite confessing to a crystal meth addiction, a drug that features as a "stimulant" on the WADA banned list. Less than 24 hours after the Australian Olympic Committee executive passed a motion that future athletes must sign statutory
declarations that they had not used performance-enhancing substances, Mitcham's revelations provide a crucial first-up test. Methamphetamine is listed as a stimulant by WADA, but only produces a positive doping result when detected during in-competition testing."

Lane 6 - The Sac Bee posts "Sporting Legends Pay Tribute to Mission Hills World Celebrity Pro-Am 2012. Yao Ming, Michael Phelps, Ronaldo Participated in Hainan's Most Celebrated Golf Tournament. The 2012 Mission Hills World Celebrity Pro-Am, held on the Blackstone Course at Mission Hills Haikou, has proved to be Asia's biggest entertainment and sports event of the year with participating celebrities ranging from the world of film, music, entertainment and sport. Among them was the legendary American swimmer Michael Phelps: "Being able to play some of the coolest, most challenging golf courses that I've ever played is what I love to do now. There are a lot of great people here and I've always had a great experience at Mission Hills," said the 22-time Olympic medal winner."

Lane 7 - The Copenhagen Post has "Dispute results in successful swimming coach heading down under. Despite his success, Paulus Wildeboer had butted heads with swimming establishment since arriving in Denmark in 2008. Paulus Wildeboer, the Dutch mastermind behind Denmark’s successful rise to the top of international swimming, has quit as coach for the national team to help prepare Australian swimmers for the Olympic Games in 2016."

Lane 8 - Inside The Games posts "Australia chooses swim legend as Chef de Mission for Nanjing 2014. Australia has appointed one of its greatest ever swimmers, Susie O'Neill, as its Chef de Mission for the 2014 Summer Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing. The appointment of O'Neill, winner of eight Olympic medals, including gold in the 200 metres butterfly in Atlanta 1996 and 200m freestyle at Sydney 2000, was confirmed following a meeting of the Australian Olympic Committee's (AOC) Executive Committee in Melbourne."